Afghanistan fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq has been ruled out of the ongoing Asia Cup, and Abdollah Ahmadzai has been named his replacement.
Naveen had been named in the Asia Cup squad despite missing the UAE tri-series prior to the tournament. According to an Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) release, Naveen is still recovering from a shoulder injury and has not been declared fit by the medical team. "Naveen will continue to undergo intensive treatment and rehabilitation until he is fully fit," the statement said.
Ahmadzai, who was originally in the list of reserves for the Asia Cup, was a part of the UAE tri-series with Naveen out of action. He made his international debut in the series - also the only T20I he has played so far - where he took 1 for 31 in three overs against UAE. Overall in T20s, he has 15 wickets from 11 games.
Naveen last played for Afghanistan in December 2024, against Zimbabwe in a T20I in Harare. He was part of the SA20 earlier this year, taking five wickets in eight games for Durban's Super Giants. He also played MLC in June where he took eight wickets in five games for tournament champions MI New York.
Fazalhaq Farooqi and Fareed Ahmad are the other specialist quicks in the squad, with Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib and Karim Janat the fast-bowling allrounder.
Afghanistan have played only one match at the Asia Cup so far, the tournament opener, where they beat Hong Kong by 94 runs. Their next group match is against Bangladesh on September 16, and they play Sri Lanka on September 18.
